Jennifer Hudson To Portray Winnie Mandela

Jennifer Hudson has landed the title role in “Winnie,” a new film by Darrell J. Roodt, the veteran South African filmmaker, based on the life of Winnie Mandela, wife of South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela according to Variety.

The film begins shooting on May 30th in the South African towns of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Transkei, and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his prison sentence.

“I was compelled and moved when I read the script,” Hudson said. “Winnie Mandela is a complex and extraordinary woman and I’m honored to be the actress asked to portray her. This is a powerful part of history that should be told.”